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Rocco Forte opens first hotel in Germany

Published: 05/04/2006 - Filed under: News »

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Luxury hotel chain Rocco Forte have opened a first class hotel in Germany's financial hub. Villa Kennedy Frankfurt is located just south of the River Main, five minutes drive from the city centre and Hauptbahnhof (central train station), and around seven miles from the international airport. The hotel is also within easy walking distance of the city's main museums, concentrated along the bank of the river.

The hotel comprises the original villa on the site dating back to 1904, along with three new adjoining wings creating a 163 room hotel and spa complex.It has all the facilities that you would expect from a five-star offering, including LCD screens in all rooms, interactive video / music libraries on demand, wifi access throughout the hotel, separate shower cubicles, and original artwork by local artists. Rooms are virtually soundproof, thanks to heavy doors, and, in the case of those rooms looking out onto the busy main road, four panes of glass in the windows.

The hotel's lobby and reception area is housed within the original villa, which features a listed staircase, as are the deluxe and presidential suites. The rest of the rooms are in the new building over three floors, with a mixture of road and internal courtyard views.

Meeting and conference facilities can be accessed by a separate entrance, and the complex has underground parking for 120 cars. The Villa Spa is also located in the new building, and features eight treatment rooms, a gym, sauna, steam room and relaxation area. In line with Sir Rocco Forte's tri-athlete interests, all new hotels feature a pool of at least 15m in length, a bonus in a city where hotel swimming pools are rare. For a full review of the hotel's facilities, see May's issue of Business Traveller magazine.

The hotel has been open for just over a month, and initial signs are good. When Business Traveller visited last week the hotel was bustling, and in particular JFK's bar was busy with both residents and casual visitors. The hotel's main visitors are expected to be from the financial sector, arriving from the US, UK and Germany, with peak periods during the city's trade fairs including the book fair in October. Of course this year will also see a surge in demand during June and July due to the Fifa World Cup, with first round matches being played in the city's Walstadion on June 10, 13, 17, and 21, and a quarter final tie on July 1.

When Business Traveller checked today, flexible rates (cancellable up to 1pm, 48 hours before arrival) for a midweek stay in April in a classic room started at Euro 250 (£176), room only, although the official rack rates quoted are Euro 440 (£307). Interestingly, the hotel has decided not to discount their rates at weekends, confident that the spa facilities will attract a distinct weekend clientele from the weekday business travellers.

This latest Rocco Forte follows the opening of the 400-room Radisson SAS in Frankfurt earlier this year (see Online news, January 23). Villa Kennedy is the ninth Rocco Forte hotel, and the first of three due to open in Germany in the next year or so. Next up will be the Hotel de Rome in Berlin (August 2006), followed by an as yet unnamed hotel in the heart of Munich (spring 2007). Further afield, Rocco Forte plans to open its first hotels in the Czech Republic and Sicily in 2007 and 2008 respectively – add these to the refurbished Le Richmond in Geneva, due to reopen in early 2007, and the chain will soon have over a dozen resorts dotted around Europe.

For more information visit villakennedy.com

Villa Kennedy, Kennedyallee 70, D-60596, Frankfurt Am Main; +49 69 717 120.

Report by Mark Caswell

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